Get "Viral" and grow!

We talk about the importance of being seen, getting exposure, and being in the spotlight . . . cre8ing buzz.  Buzz or exposure is power!  The more people that know of you, and more importantly are talking about you, the greater your power.  Power then becomes access, money, influence and more. 

Knowing this; what are you doing to get more of it (exposure)?  Let us help you.  Andy Sernovitz has a good little book on WOMM (word of mouth marketing)  called; surprise, surprise . . .Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking 

In it he talks about the 5 T's:

1. Talkers - Find people who will talk about you
2. Topics - Give people, especially your talkers a reason to talk
3. Tools - Make it easy for them to spread the message faster and farther
4. Taking Part - Join the conversation, get involved
5. Tracking -Measure what they (people) are telling you.

cre8ing buzz is a strategy, one you have to focus on and execute to.  Ask yourself; how deliberate are you in finding people to talk about you or better yet recognizing who is already talking about you.  You've got fans, find em!  How much time do you spend identifying topics that are exciting, interesting, grabbing?   How deep do you dig to figure that out?   How easy do you make it for people to spread the word; your word?  What tools are you providing to accelerate their evangelism?  How active are you in the discussion?  You need to get involved, and know the pulse of your following.  Yup, it is a following.  Recognize it, bask in it, be involved in it.  Finally, track it. Know where they are going and what is important to them.  Look for trends, be responsive to the signals.  Get the data, it is your best friend.

Getting people talking is the best form of marketing you can ever have, because it is based on trust.  We trust people we know, even if it is a simple acquaintance.  I adopted a philosophy a few years ago.  If I hear something, word of mouth, 3 times, I check into it, buy it, go there (a restaurant), see it (a movie)etc.  Get to me 3 times you got my money and my attention. 

Can "YOU" get to me 3 times? 

Comments

[Chris Hooley]

This post rocked!

But being an SEO I'm always looking for an angle.... so if I comment on this three times does that count?

[Andy Sernovitz]

Thanks for the review. I think you do a great job of getting to the heart of the matter -- it's how you listen and participate.

Thanks,

Andy